Keirath's Queen Flight- Dragon Riders of Pern

Alexis felt her dragon's hunger before the gleaming gold burst from the ledge to feed with an uproar that sent half the riders, bronze or brown, into a flurry. She crumpled, her knees giving out before she knew what had hit her. The Queen's Flight... god, please, not now. Everything shifted precariously, like she was half herself and half somewhere else... with her dragon. 'Keirath! Please...' she whimpered, trying to calm the queen as she dove onto one of the herdbeasts with a fierce, claiming cry.

"Don't let her gorge, girl!" Someone cried this, pulling Alexis up while she cringed away, seeking someone worthy of her involuntary.

'No... Keirath, stop!'

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The dark haired rider had no comprension who had hissed and struck out to the voice that was only trying to help her. But it was her, she knew... she was losing herself in the flight. Get away, she had to get away from these people. She flung the hands away as they reached for her, stumbling out of the kitchens towards Keirath. How she managed to get from the kitchens to outside, she couldn't remember. Even as she fell to the grass outside, Alexis was no longer herself.

Keirath released her first herdbeast, having sucked the blood from her meal. She pounced on a second, ready to rip the animal to shreds and fed. Something pulled her back, commanded her not to... Not now... but soon. She sank her nettle sharp fangs into the herdbeast's throat, sucking the lifeblood from it, devouring what little it could give her. That one drained, she finished off a third, and and fourth before lifting herself with great wing beats into the air. She rose higher, hearing instead of seeing the wing beats of the many bronze dragons following her.

As much as a dragon could she grinned, beating her wings to greater lengths. Let them follow, she would not be caught. With a great cry of joy, she and Alexis rose towards the clouds together. She swooped, passing by a bronze... was it Ciragath? The vague notion that they had wanted it to be T'lin and Ciragath crossed their joined minds. The burnished gold searched, not knowing if she really cared if it was Ciragath anymore or not... She beat her wings again and again, flitting past more of the bronzes as they circled her, trying to trap her. She would not be caught! She would not be their's! Never!

Below the dodging gold and her bronzes, Alexis writhed and moved in the circle of men. It was a senous dance that only seemed possible during such a flight. She threw off hands, letting out cries that were less and less human. She hissed, snarled and let out mild imitations of her dragon's cries high above them. She had done her part and had keep Keirath from gorging herself on the herdbeasts. Now she was free to fly with her friend.

Gathering herself in the skies above, Keirath had began to tire. Her wing beats lessened, after they had carried her to what felt like the ends of the skies... where the air was thin, so thin. Two bronzes were left and she dove at the smaller of the two, driving him from her side. She did not want him! She would not tire, she wouldn't! The last bronze, a giant body, one larger than herself soared next to her. The dragon and her rider knew who they had finally chosen.

Alexis fell into a man's arms, worn, her eyes barely open. She was afraid... afraid she hadn't found him. A familiar scent hit her, and she smiled against his shoulder, "T'lin."